How To Cancel a Spirit Airlines Flight [Points or Cash] (2024)

Canceling a flight can be a very frustrating and expensive experience. Knowing the ins and outs of the airline’s cancellation policy can save you quite a bit of time and money if you do end up needing to cancel.

If you happened to book your flight, or are planning to book a flight, with SpiritAirlinesyou’re in the right place! Here’s all the information you need to navigate their cancellation policy and determine what policies apply to your situation.

Spirit’s Cancellation Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points

All customers have24 hoursfrom the time of their original booking to cancel their reservation without being charged acancellation fee, regardless of the fare selected, as long as the ticket is purchased greater than 7 days (168 hours) or more before the scheduled departure date.

Here are the current cancellation charges:

Standard Ticket

If you wish you cancel your standard ticket you must do so within the initial 24-hour window or more than 60 days from departure to avoid being charged. Otherwise, the cancellation fee varies based on how many days from departure your flight is. Your refund, after the cancellation fee, will be issued as future travel credit that can only be used with Spirit Airlines, and only for the passenger the credit was issued for.

Flight Flex Tickets

When you add the Flight Flex add-on to your reservation, you’ll be able to modify your itinerary once, online, up to 24 hours before your departure with no modification charges. Unfortunately, cancellations are not covered as a modification. So if you do need to cancel, the fees are the same as a standard ticket

Your refund, after the cancellation fee, will be issued as future travel credit, that can only be used with Spirit Airlines, and only for the passenger the credit was issued for.

Award Ticket

If you’ve booked a ticket with your Spirit miles and need to cancel it outside of the 24-hour window, the standard cancellation fee based on your date of departure will apply. Cancellation can only be done over the phone and then your miles will be redeposited back into your account.

Hot Tip:Looking for even more information about canceling award tickets? Explore ourguide on canceling award tickets, including information on over 30 carriers, to learn more.

Spirit’s Change Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points

As with cancellations, all customers will have24 hours from the time of their original booking to change their reservation without being charged a fee, regardless of fare selected, as long as the ticket is purchased greater than 7 days (168 hours) or more before the scheduled departure date.

Here are the current change charges:

Standard or Award Ticket

If you need to make a change to your standard or award ticket, you must do so within the initial 24-hour window or more than 60 days from departure. Otherwise, you have to pay the $39 to $79 change fee. If you are changing your flight to a more expensive option than your original ticket, then you’ll need to pay that price difference as well.

Flight Flex

With Flight Flex, a 1-time free change made online can be made until 24 hours before the time of departure. Customers will still be responsible for any difference in airfare. Keep in mind that you are limited to only 1 change, and Flight Flex is only available for purchase during your initial flight bookings.

The Flight Flex fee is $35 to $45 per ticket at the time of booking, depending on your itinerary. If you know you will need the added flexibility that the Flight Flex add-on provides, this could be a worthwhile expense.

Same-Day Change

If you’re planning to make a same-day change, i.e. standby for an earlier flight option, the fee to do so is $99.

How To Cancel a Spirit Ticket

Step 1: Log into your account and select “my trips” from the top or on the homepage. Then enter your last name and flight confirmation code.

Step 2: This will bring up your reservation summary page. Click “cancel reservation” to cancel your itinerary and get a Future Travel Credit or refund.

Step 3: The final page will show you how much money you are refunded along with any fees associated with canceling your ticket.

If you prefer, you can call in and have a phone agent walk you through the cancellation process for a $10 fee by calling 801-401-2222.

How To Use a Spirit Flight Credit

To redeem your flight credit, simply look for the “Vouchers and Credits” drop-down on the flight purchase page, enter the 17 digit code you received when you canceled your ticket, and select go. Vouchers must be applied to a reservation at the time of booking.

Future travel credits with Spirit can only be used by the passenger they were issued to and are only valid for a single-use with no remaining value after that use. Meaning if you have a $120 travel credit and apply it to a flight that is $90, you will not be able to use the remaining $30 on a future flight.

Spirit travel credits have restricted use during government holidays so be sure to check whether your dates are eligible. Finally, your credit must be booked within 60 days of issuance.

Final Thoughts

Unlike other airlines, there are no good alternatives to get around Spirit cancellation fees. They do not offer fully refundable tickets and even purchasing the Flight Flex add-on is only helpful if you need to change your flight, not cancel.

When there is no way around it, canceling a flight can be a real pain, so consider purchasing your flight with a credit card that provides compensation. Be certain to review fare rules closely so that you know what your options are both at the time of booking, and if you end up needing to cancel.